P a g e 6 G h o s t T o w n s a n d H i s t o r y o f M o n t a n a N e w s l e t t e r Ingomar, Montana – Population 32 I’ve been in Ingomar, MT 3 times for sure and maybe even a 4th time. The last time was May 2017 and the three of us had made arrangements to rent beds overnight in the old schoolhouse. We had our choice of 8 beds that had been made-up in one of the larger rooms. The bathroom was just outside that bedroom off a hallway that led to the living room. In the living room were many couches, chairs, tables and a microwave. We had planned on staying 2 nights in Ingomar, but after 1 night and portions of 2 days we decided that there was nothing more to do in the town and we headed out for a new adventure in Montana. In Hunting Season the schoolhouse is filled with beds. A sign at the top of the buildings reads, “BUNK n BUSCUIT – ONLY PLACE TO SLEEP IN 100 MILES”. Not quite a true statement but the price is right, the beds are clean and there will be plenty of ‘Hunting Stories’ to be heard while staying here with scores of other hunters. Photo by Shawn Shawhan Ingomar appears to be a mostly dying town. Half of the houses are beyond repair and there are dead vehicles throughout the town. However, it you happen to be interested, the town’s café & bar, The Jersey Lilly, is currently For Sale. The asking price is $225,000 – WHAT A DEAL!!! But be aware that the population count for Ingomar is currently 32 and that the median age is 65.4 years old. Here is a bit of history about the town and then some of my photographs of the town from my visits in 2014 and 2017. Ingomar is an unincorporated community in northwestern Rosebud County, Montana, United States, along the route of Photo by Shawn Shawhan U.S. Route 12. The town was established in 1908, as a station stop on the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, then under construction in Montana. Although the land around Ingomar attracted numerous homesteaders during the decade following the railroad's completion, the region proved to be far too arid and inhospitable for intensive agricultural use, and by the 1920s the town was in decline. The railroad through the area was abandoned in 1980, and only a handful of people remain in Ingomar today. The Ingomar Public School, also known as Ingomar High School, on Second Avenue in Ingomar, Montana, was built in 1913. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. It is an L-shaped hipped roof building, with a square, symmetrical plan, and was expanded in 1915. The Jersey Lilly in Ingomar is the only restaurant and bar on a long stretch of highway through the scenic
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